Susannah George | The Washington Post
Iranian officials are urging the United States to agree to a deal over Iran’s nuclear program but warned this week that negotiations could be in jeopardy because of the Trump administration’s insistence that Tehran accept zero enrichment of uranium. Opening a conference in Tehran, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for “brotherhood” but said his country would not respond to “bullying.” He told the audience: “We will not give up this right to use peaceful nuclear technology in any way. No matter what they say, do, how they threaten us or impose sanctions, it makes no difference.”
Joey Roulette | Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile defense concept revives a controversial, decades-old initiative whose ambitious construction could upend norms in outer space and reshape relations between the world's top space powers. The announcement of Golden Dome, a vast network of satellites and weapons in Earth's orbit set to cost $175 billion, could sharply escalate the militarization of space, a trend that has intensified over the last decade, space analysts say.
Jim Sciutto, Katie Bo Lillis, and Natasha Bertrand | CNN
The US has obtained new intelligence suggesting that Israel is making preparations to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, even as the Trump administration has been pursuing a diplomatic deal with Tehran, multiple US officials familiar with the latest intelligence told CNN… Whether and how Israel strikes will likely depend on what it thinks of the US negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program.
Thomas Newdick | TWZ
Russia is introducing new nuclear-tipped air-to-air missiles as part of an overall expansion of its nuclear forces, according to an assessment from the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency, or DIA. While nuclear-armed air-to-air missiles were part of the Soviet Union’s arsenal during the Cold War, their current status within the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) is little-known, which makes the disclosure from this U.S. intelligence agency all the more intriguing.
Reuters
The Kremlin indicated on Wednesday that President Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" missile shield plans could force the resumption in the foreseeable future of contacts between Moscow and Washington about nuclear arms control. Asked about Trump's announcement that he had selected a design for the $175-billion Golden Dome missile defense shield, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was a sovereign matter for the United States.
Brian Platt and Derek Decloet | Bloomberg
Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed Canada is considering joining the US in its “Golden Dome” missile defense project, but declined to put a price tag on it and said the talks are at an early stage. “It’s something that we are looking at and something that has been discussed at a high level,” Carney said, speaking in Ottawa after a two-day planning session with his new cabinet.